The Foodie ReportRuminations on food, cooking in and eating out in our area.

It's entirely possible to be a vegetarian in Porkopolis. Pop culture reporter Lauren Bishop blogs about products, recipes and restaurants she's tried for others who eat meat-free. E-mail her at lbishop@enquirer.com.

Nicci King is an unabashed foodie and the Lifestyle/Food editor in The Enquirer's features department. She loves to discover new food faves, and she's on a daily quest to answer one burning question: What's for dinner? E-mail her at nking@enquirer.com.

Enquirer Weekend editor Julie Gaw tends to order the same dish every time she eats at a restaurant, but periodically ventures out to discover something new and fabulous. After living in China, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Thailand for more than 8 years, she craves tasty Asian food. E-mail her at jgaw@enquirer.com.

Food/dining writer Polly Campbell loves every quirk and secret of Cincinnati's food personality, and is on a constant lookout for something good to eat. Keep an eye out for her restaurant picks, or see how she's progressing toward becoming famous for her apple pie. E-mail her at pcampbell@enquirer.com.

Communities reporter Rachel Richardson is on a mission to prove vegetarians eat more than lettuce. She shares both her graduate work on American food culture and food-related news.. E-mail her at rrichardson@enquirer.com.

El Probenir owner Maria Luna says the large influx of Hispanics in the area and a dearth for traditional favorites prompted her store’s opening. But she also sees many native-born patrons, as well as immigrants from other non-Hispanic countries.

Don’t let the strip-mall locations fool you: These stores are chock-full oftasty ethnic foods, beverages and spices. El Porbenir boasts a wall full of seasonings and spices I’ve never heard of, let alone ever considered using – like rose petals used in a traditional Mexican beef dish or mayonnaise with a touch of lime. And for those who prefer their dishes spicy, both stores carry more than a dozen varieties of dried chilies.

The larger of the two stores, El Oasis is truly an oasis for both fans of Latin dishes and/or food adventurers who want to experiment with new tastes. And the store’s friendly staff is available to help answer questions and give suggestions.

For more information, call El Oasis at 513- 943-7999 or El Porbenir at 513-688-0082.

2 Comments:

Me, too. When I travel, I always visit grocery stores. I have this strange fascination of taking pictures in foreign grocery stores. Some people check out architecture. I like to study cultures based on their potato chip flavors.

Links to this post:

* Our online blogs currently are hosted and operated by a third party, namely, Blogger.com. You are now leaving the Cincinnati.Com website and will be linked to Blogger.com's registration page. The Blogger.com site and its associated services are not controlled by Cincinnati.Com and different terms of use and privacy policy will apply to your use of the Blogger.com site and services.

By proceeding and/or registering with Blogger.com you agree and understand that Cincinnati.Com is not responsible for the Blogger.com site you are about to access or for any service you may use while on the Blogger.com site.
<< Home